Mexico City announces bold new traffic regulations

On August 17, the International Day of the Pedestrian, Mexico City’s Mayor Mancera announced a series of new traffic regulations aimed at improving pedestrian safety. The rules are officially posted and will take effect in 180 days.

Mayor Mancera posted on his Twitter account that with the publication of these regulations, the government is seeking to ‘protect and secure the rights of pedestrians’. These new regulations reflect a policy of progressive leadership, and represent an act that will prove to save lives, reduce injuries, enhance mobility and ultimately, improve the quality of life for all in Mexico City.

Among the broad-ranging changes are a reduction in speed limit from 70km/h to 50km/h on major roads, the establishment of 30km/h zones, a new penalty point system, bans on right turns on red signals, and new increased traffic fines for texting while driving, speeding, parking in crosswalks and other issues that expose pedestrians and cyclists to danger. The mayor also announced a Vision Zero policy for the city aimed at eliminating all traffic deaths in the city.

‘We want to show a different vision, we will stop talking about a transport law and speak of one relating to mobility, where the main focus is the pedestrian. The regulation has a vision in which the city has to rethink and turn to pedestrians, new designs must think from that perspective.’ said Mayor Mancera at the event presenting the new regulations.

The Global Road Safety Partnership supports this move and hopes that the example of Mexico City may encourage and inspire others in leadership and decision-making positions to act decisively in the interests of their constituencies through proven good practice policy measures in the road safety space.